Will you take me home?

At least 50 cats in the county's animal shelter are now waiting to be adopted

May 30, 2008|By Lia Lehrer Staff Writer

Nobody wants to adopt a black cat - especially not an adult one. But Angelica Rivera, 28, of Wellington, wants to reverse the trend.

"People are superstitious, so [black cats] don't get adopted as much," Rivera said. "They just want some love."

She fell in love with a golden-eyed black cat purring in a cage at Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, west of West Palm Beach, this week. Pending her four children's approval, Rivera hopes to adopt the domestic short-hair stray this weekend.

"I'd call him 'Midnight,' " she said.

Shelter officials say they need more people like Rivera. It's "kitten season," and the influx is more than the shelter and its volunteers can handle, said Karen Buchan, community projects manager.

"We have to have a limit. We're running out of space," Buchan said. "We can't keep them forever and ever. It's not a good environment to live in a cage; it's not a loving home."

At least 50 cats and kittens are available for adoption at the shelter, Buchan said.

Dozens more are smaller than 2 pounds, the minimum for kittens to be sterilized. These kittens need foster care volunteers to take care of them for two to four weeks at home, away from other animals, to grow strong and healthy before permanent adoption.

But after about five days, if no foster care volunteers claim a frail kitten and the kitten remains underweight, the shelter may have to euthanize it.

"It's euthanized just because it's too small. That's what's so sad," Buchan said. "People want to adopt an animal that is perfect, playful and not sick. They want the pet of their dreams."The same fate goes for cats that remain in the adoption program for longer than about two months.

The shelter took in 7,235 cats from October 2006 to April 2007. This year, the number is down to 6,656.

The decline is thanks to more pet owners spaying and neutering their cats, Buchan said. But despite the reduced number, it's still too many to handle.

In honor of National Adopt-a-Cat Month in June, the shelter is offering a $20 adoption special for cats and kittens, down from the regular $54. Seniors 55 and older pay $10.

Cats ready for adoption have been sterilized, vaccinated, wormed, checked for feline leukemia, implanted with microchip identification and given a county rabies tag.

The shelter ensures the cats are healthy. Buchan said cats help the elderly and the mentally ill and strengthen the immune systems of young children.

"My kids get a friend from these kittens, and love," Rivera said, "and someone they can cuddle with when mom and dad are not home."

INFORMATIONAL BOX:

Adopt a cat or kitten

Adopt: For more information, go to

www.pbcgov.com/pubsafety/animal

Visit: Stop by the shelter, 7100 Belvedere Road, west of West Palm Beach, to look at the animals. Shelter hours are

11 a.m.--6 p.m. Monday-Friday,

10 a.m.--5 p.m. Saturday and

11 a.m.--4 p.m. Sunday.

Volunteer: Call Tammy Roberts,

volunteer coordinator, at 561-233-1281 to volunteer for foster care or other services.